An investigation carried out by PRNigeria has debunked as a total fabrication, a viral report claiming that the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, is set to marry the former First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari.
The rumor, which gained massive traction on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), was accompanied by an image presented as a “pre-wedding” photograph of the duo.
The post, shared by pages such as Adamawa Pulse, garnered thousands of reactions and shares, fueled by the fact that Aisha Buhari recently completed her Islamic mourning period (iddah) following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2025.
The image was further amplified by several public figures, including Senator Shehu Sani and northern politician Magaji Muazu, whose posts drew thousands of engagements and fuelled public speculation.
The rumour surfaced months after the death of former President , who passed away on July 13, 2025, in London at the age of 82. Buhari, who married Aisha Buhari in 1989, is survived by his wife, eight children, and several grandchildren.
Aisha Buhari completed her Islamic mourning period (idda) on November 18, 2025, after which speculation about her possible remarriage began to circulate online.
However, a comprehensive verification by PRNigeria, supported by digital forensic analysis, confirmed that the widely circulated image is fabricated and the accompanying claim completely baseless.
Checks of the official social media accounts of both Aisha Buhari and Pantami revealed no announcement, indication, or reference suggesting marriage plans. Keyword searches across credible news platforms also produced no evidence to support the claim.
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The “pre-wedding” photo circulating online was also subjected to InVid verification forensics and AI-detection tools, which confirmed that the photograph was artificially generated. The image used digital manipulation to superimpose the faces of the former Minister and the former First Lady into a wedding-themed template.
In a direct phone chat with PRNigeria, Professor Pantami categorically dismissed the rumour. “It is shocking that anyone would fabricate such a rumour. President Buhari is a father figure to us, and we regard his widow as a mother. The claim is baseless and impossible,” he stated.
Similarly, Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to the late President, dismissed the claim on his Facebook page. “The story being circulated that Hajiya Aisha Buhari has agreed to marry Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami is an outright lie. There is absolutely no truth in it whatsoever,” Ahmad wrote in Hausa.
Further evidence debunking the rumor emerged from the recently launched 600-page biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and unveiled at the State House in December 2025.
In the book, the former First Lady stated clearly that she has no plans to remarry, describing her decision as a pragmatic one. “She will not remarry… she has grandchildren; one husband was enough,” the biography noted, highlighting her transition to a quieter public life focused on her foundation and family.
With no credible evidence to support the allegation and multiple authoritative denials, PRNigeria concludes that the viral claim is false and misleading, and that the so-called “pre-wedding” image is an AI-generated fabrication.
The Fact-Check: Is Former Minister Pantami Planning to Marry Aisha Buhari? https://prnigeria.com/2026/01/09/fact-check-pantami-aisha/
